It’s not clear what role Faulconer and Gloria might be playing in the mediation, but in the event of Filner’s resignation, Gloria would step in as acting mayor.

Filner and the city have been sued for sexual harassment by Irene McCormack Jackson, the mayor’s former communications director. Allred is McCormack Jackson’s lawyer. Goldsmith has filed a cross-complaint against Filner on behalf of the city.

Allred refused to confirm that talks were taking place or that she was part of them.

"I am sorry, but I have no comment," she said in an email.

Over the past two weeks, the city attorney increasingly suggested a settlement could be the way out for Filner. Goldsmith declined to define what working it out might entail.

At least four agencies are investigating Filner: the City Attorney’s Office, the state Attorney General’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Attorney.

FBI agents have been asking questions about two housing developments that Filner held up until six-figure payments were received by the city.

U-T Watchdog reported July 30 that federal agents expanded their investigation into Filner’s handling of the Sunroad project in Kearny Mesa to include another housing development, the Centrepoint apartments in the College Area.

The questions focus on “administrative holds” Filner placed on the developments — a mechanism the City Attorney’s Office has said lacked any legal basis. These holds allowed the city to extract additional concessions from the developer after the usual process for community input and project approval.

In the case of Centrepoint, the developer agreed to rent apartments by the unit rather than the bed and made a $150,000 payment to improve a nearby park.

In the Sunroad case, the Filner administration wanted a $100,000 payment from the developer for two Filner pet projects: a veterans memorial in Ocean Beach and a daylong bicycling event.

Filner pledged to give the contributions back on June 28, the same day the U-T Watchdog reported about a voice mail left at a City Council office, in which the developer directly linked the $100,000 contribution to the city to Filner’s support of the project changes.

Sunroad split the payment in two checks to the city, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has copies of both, according to sources.

Filner has rejected widespread calls for his resignation. A recall effort was formally launched on Sunday, in large part driven by the growing number of sexual harassment allegations, including city workers, against Filner.